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Fifty years ago, this week, the grand single screen era began its’ swan song with the opening of the National Theatre in Westwood. Opened on 3/26/70, with an invitational premiere of “The Boys in the Band”, National General’s 1,112 seat modern palace was among the last grand single screen builds, as the industry had already […]

In honor of Hal Drewek, whom I discussed in an earlier post, I thought I would share one of his more humorous stories. Back in the 1980’s, Hal spent some time managing Jacksonville Florida’s Fox Drive-In. On one particular evening, there was an issue with a projector and the film cut out mid show. As […]

This evening we witnessed an unprecedented event in the history of movie going, as every movie theatre in the United States (likely most of the world) closed indefinitely. On hearing the news that the last few holdouts had fallen in line with national guidelines, I attempted to find a point of comparison, some similar period […]

Pondering the exhibition industry’s sagging ticket sales, declining market value, and struggling public image, I was reminded of a person I encountered over a decade ago, in a setting which has long since passed from relevance.    I first crossed paths with Hal Drewek at a general management conference, circa 2005. By that time, he […]